May 23 (iVillage Total Health) -- Want to decrease your risk of developing gum disease? New research shows the single most important factor in determining if you will develop gum disease is whether you smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products.

Gum disease -- also called periodontal disease -- is infection and inflammation of the gums, tissues and bones supporting the teeth. Mild forms (gingivitis) can produce red and swollen gums, while severe cases of periodontitis can cause receding gums and tooth loss.

In a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Periodontology, researchers followed a group of 219 factory workers in Japan from 1999 to 2003. Participants were evaluated based on several lifestyle factors, including the amount of physical exercise they received, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, the amount of sleep they got, diet and nutrition, mental stress, the number of hours they worked and whether they ate breakfast.

Smoking was identified as the greatest risk factor for progression of gum disease; hours of sleep were a close second in determining likelihood of progression of the disease. They found that 41 percent of the factory workers who had gum disease were current smokers. Participants who received seven to eight hours of sleep had fewer signs of progression of the disease than participants who received six hours of sleep or less. Other contributing factors to gum disease cited by the research included high stress levels and daily alcohol consumption.

"Our findings are in line with other studies that have identified smoking as a strong lifestyle factor affecting oral health," Dr. Muneo Tanaka, a dentist and the study's author, said in a press release.

He added: "Studies that have looked at hours of sleep as an independent factor affecting periodontal health are limited. From this study, we can speculate that shortage of sleep can impair the body's immune response, which may lead to the progression of diseases such as periodontal disease."

Dr. Preston D. Miller, president of the American Academy of Periodontology, said the study points out the importance of lifestyle factors in determining oral health. People who make simple changes to their lifestyle habits -- such as getting more sleep or quitting smoking -- can significantly improve their oral health, he said.

He added: "It is also important to keep these in mind as the body of evidence linking oral disease with systemic diseases continues to grow because ultimately these lifestyle factors might impact a patient's overall health."

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.